Playing Their Cards Right,
Rockabilly-style

--By Don Quan Translated by Annie Liu

full house (n.) - in a standard poker game, a hand consisting of three-of-a-kind and two-of-a-kind.
Full House (n.) - a Taiwanese rockabilly trio considered to be one-of-a-kind.
Modern-day rockabilly has never been, save for Brian Setzer/The Stray Cats, in the mainstream of popular music. Even more unusual is that a Taiwanese group called Full House pursues this form with all the authenticity and earnest of American rockabilly heroes of the 50's. Based in Tainan, this trio (Akira - guitar/vocals, Kyohei - slap-bass/vocals, Bambi - drums/vocals) is one of only a handful of rockabilly bands on the island.

The group formed about two years ago, and has since released a 6-song eponymous CD. Their live repertoire includes originals, as well as covers of rockabilly greats (Eddie Cochran's '20-Flight Rock', Buddy Holly's 'Oh Boy') and even surf music (The Chantay's 'Pipeline'). The band's reverence for American roots music only adds to their credibility as a one-of-a-kind band.

Guitarist Akira was a late bloomer rockabilly-wise, only discovering Setzer on the Woodstock '99 DVD a few years ago. That changed his musical path for good, and he now performs with a Gretsch 6120 (the same as Setzer's signature guitar). Slap-bassist Kyohei grew up in Japan, and currently studies at a Tainan university when not showing off his incredible skills on the upright bass. Drummer Bambi plays the kit standing up, not unlike the pioneering rockabilly drummers. The band members are all quite knowledgeable about many genres of music, and all moonlight in other bands, but rockabilly is their first priority. Everything about Full House - their look, style, attitude and music - qualifies them as the most authentic band of their genre in Taiwan.

In a country where most folks likely have never heard of (let alone understand) rockabilly, one would wonder why these guys do what they do. Their response is that "It's not about money. We love rockabilly music". With their attitude, ability, and just being really nice guys, hopefully it won't be long until Taiwan gets hip to Full House.